Teachers ruling a stark reminder – Coast Reporter – Coast Reporter

Editor:

The recent Supreme Court ruling to restore British Columbia teachers contract language (stripped since 2002) is, regretfully, long overdue. The severe financial cutbacks endured by B.C. teachers has inevitably led to larger class sizes, loss of library personnel and program choices and, more importantly, loss of morale among teachers who must meet the needs of students in increasingly complex classrooms on woefully inadequate budgets.

Even though the implementation of this court ruling is far from over, as a society, it is critical to reflect upon the kind of education we desire for our children and be willing to speak out when unreasonable government policies handicap our public institutions for personal and political gain.

Hopefully, this ruling will serve as a stark reminder that the health, educational opportunities, mental well-being and sense of personal empowerment that we expect schools to deliver is dependent on our willingness to engage in informed political, social and community discourse. Moreover, we must be willing to oppose policies that threaten the ability of our educational institutions to provide optimum environments for our future leaders and thinkers.

Braden Blackmon, S.C. Teachers Association, Social Justice Chair

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Teachers ruling a stark reminder - Coast Reporter - Coast Reporter